Coast To Coast Toast Celebrates 31 Years of Belgian Beer Importer Vanberg & DeWulf

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Nov 13, 2012 8:20PM

In 1981 Wendy Littlefield and Don Feinberg helped to change the course of how beer is looked at in the United States when they founded their beer importer business Vanberg & DeWulf after a three-year stay in Belgium where they soaked up everything they could about Belgian beer. Through Vanberg & DeWulf, Littlefield and Feinberg introduced American beer drinkers to Duvel, Rodenbach Grand Cru, Affligem abbey beers, Frank Boon’s lambics, and helped to found Brewery Ommegang in New York.

Today Vanberg & DeWulf is arguably the most respected importer of Belgian and Belgian-style beers in the country, with a lineup of beers that includes Saison DuPont, Brasserie Dubuisson, Scaldis, as well as specialty beers from Italy, France, and Iceland.

Last year Littlefield and Feinberg celebrated 30 years of Vanberg & DeWulf with a Coast to Coast Toast featuring 350 participating bars and restaurants. This year's Coast to Coast Toast Nov. 15 features at least 400 bars across in the U.S. and Europe, according to Littlefield.

Chicago is getting into the act with toasts at these locations.

Au Cheval
Bangers And Lace
Bar On Buena
Capone's Liquors
City Winery Chicago
Fatpour Tap Works
Fischman's Liquors
Fountainhead
Gentile's Wine Shop
Hopleaf Bar
Leopold
Map Room
Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar
Monk's Pub
Newline Tavern
Printers Row Wine Shop
Red & White
Smallbar Division
Smallbar Logan Square
The Aberdeen Tap
The Aviary
The Bad Apple
The Beer Temple
The Garage
The Longroom
West Lakeview Liquors
Wild Goose
Yusho
All 28 Chicago area Binny's Locations